Press for dehydrating colloid material



1936- M. VAN ROGGEN ET AL PRESS FOR DEHYDRATING COLLOID MATERIAL 2 Sheets-Sheet '2 19 Filgg Fe Patented Jan. 14, 1936 UNITED STATES PRESS FOR DEHYDRATING COLLOID MATERIAL Mathieu van Roggen, Sprimont, and Leo Robin, Brussels, Belgium Application February 16, 1933, Serial No. 657,143 In France February 17, 1932 8 Claims.

It is well-known that in order to dehydrate colloid material, more particularly peat, it is desirable that pressure he applied to a relatively thin layer of the same.

To obtain the best results from presses used for this purpose, it is usual to feed the material thereinto by means of two travelling endless members pressed towards each other. In known devices of this class, the endless members travel between rigid frames, said frames being pressed towards each other by resilient members. In many cases, to avert the breakage of the frames the rigidity of the same has been increased, but they are liable to break nevertheless when foreign bodies are drawn between them or when one of the travelling endless members becomes wedged or broken. In such cases, even though the frames may not break, the travelling endless members are liable to become seriously damaged.

Furthermore, when the layer of material fed into the press is irregular in thickness or offers varying degrees of resistance to pressure, the rigidity of the frame or frames prevents said pressure from being distributed uniformly upon the material undergoing treatment.

It is the object of our invention to obviate these disadvantages. With this object in view, according to our invention the two travelling members are pressed towards each other by one or more deformable supports subjected to the pressure of a plurality of resilient members distributed throughout their length.

Hence, should a foreign body or a constituent part of one of the two travelling members become wedged between the same, the deformable supports will give readily to the obstacle on account of their resiliency, and will not break. Should anything interfere with the normal operation of the press, the supports will readily become deformed and give way, since practically the only resistance which they have to overcome is that of the resilient members bearing upon them at the point or points where deformation ha occurred.

In a preferred constructional embodiment of our invention, the said supports consist of flexible tracks or rails against which crosspieces are pressed by resilient members.

According to the invention, to prevent any compression reaction from being transmitted to the foundation frame of the press and to permit ready adjustment and reliable operation of the press, one of the endless travelling members is caused to pass around a drum constituting the second endless member, and the aforesaid resilient members are arranged to bear against the shaft of the drum preferably through sta tionary checks or discs mounted idly upon the drum shaft. These checks or discs may be provided with channels or gutters arranged to collect the liquid running from the sides of the drum.

When the travelling members consist of caterpillar chains, the flexibility of said members may preferably be increased by providing a plurality of relatively narrow adjacent chains, so arranged that all of the chains, when considered as one unit, form a single chain adapted to be deformed both longitudinally and transversely. The rollers interposed between the travelling members and the deformable supports thereof to facilitate the travel of said members, are arranged side by side and are likewise narrow relatively to the width of the travelling members.

Furthermore, according to the invention, in order to protect the mechanically operative portions of the travelling members against the liquid and to obtain a more suitable distribution of working pressures thereupon, the working face of said travelling members is preferably clad with a band of flexible material, such as india rubber or the like, which may be recessed or grooved to shape the material undergoing treatment so as to facilitate subsequent division into small blocks.

Further details and features will become apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, two constructional embodiments of our invention. In said drawings:

Fig. l is a diagrammatic elevation of a press according to the invention,

Fig. 2 is an elevation of a preferred embodiment of a press according to the invention, fitted to its frame,

Fig. 3 is a vertical section along line III-III of Fig. 4 of the press proper, one of the stationary side cheeks or discs having been removed,

Fig. 4 is a section on line IV-IV of Fig. 3, drawn to a larger scale.

The same reference numerals have been used to indicate similar members in all of the figures.

Fig. 1 shows a travelling endless member 2, consisting of a chain of the so-called caterpillar type, which is caused to travel in the direction of the arrow X by a driving pinion 3. Chain 2 passes over rollers 4 so interconnected as likewise to constitute an endless chain 4a. The travelling member 2 is urged towards a second travelling member, consisting of a chain 5 bearing against a backing 6 through interconnected rollers 1 arrangedto form an endless chain 1a.

The device adapted to urge travelling member 2 towards member 5 comprises a support formed of rails 8 arranged side by side, crosspieces 9 bearings against said rails, and springs l bearing against said crosspieces. The rails 8 consist of elastic metal strips and a large number of springs l8 are distributed throughout the length thereof. The tension of each spring I0 may be adjusted individually by manipulating nuts ll threaded upon rods l2 secured to the backing 6. The springs H) are adapted to be so adjusted that the material fed between chains 2 and at point I3 is compressed progressively, as it travels forward.

Figs. 2 to 4 illustrate a press wherein the com pression of the material undergoing treatment is efiected along a circular track.

The press is mounted upon a frame M through stationary cheeks or discs l5. Said cheeks or discs l5 bear upon the press-frame through stops I6, which are adjustable to facilitate correct mounting. A shaft 6a, extending freely through the checks or discs I5 and supported in bearings integral with the frame of the press, carries a drum 6 whereof the periphery is fitted with a filter formed of closely spaced bars ii. The aforesaid filter may likewise be constituted by caterpillar chains such as 2. In the case of the constructional embodiment under consideration, one of the travelling members consists of the cylindrical filter 5' bearing on the rotatory drum 8, and the second travelling member is constituted by the chains 2 wound around said drum. It is advantageous to arrange several chains such as 2 side by side, the flexibility of the travelling member being enhanced thereby owing to the fact that said member then becomes deformable both transversely and longitudinally. The adjacent caterpillar-type chains are pressed towards drum 6 by flexible rails 8 to which elastic pressure is transmitted through cross-pieces 9 from devices to be hereinafter described.

In order to minimize the frictional or other resistances of the caterpillar chains 2 to motion, a roller chain 4a may be fitted between each rail 8 and the corresponding caterpillar-type chm'n 2.

The periphery of the drum is connected with the shaft 6a by side-walls Eb, having apertures 6d wherethrough the water passing through the filter 5' and to the sides of the drum may escape. To prevent said water from reaching the centre of the drum, channels or gutters 6f are provided between the apertures 6d and shaft 6a.

The water passing along the sides of the drum collects in other channels or gutters ll, secured to the stationary checks or discs l5, towards the lower portion of which a drainage outlet Ila is provided.

The flexible rails 8 are not pressed against the rollers 4 by means of springs, as illustrated in Fig. 1, but by pistons l8 hydraulically actuated by a liquid delivered by pipes [9 into cylinders 20, secured by rods l2 to the stationary cheeks or discs I5. The pipes [9 are connected to an accumulator adapted to endow the hydraulic connection with a suitable degree of resiliency. The devices which urge the rails 8 against. the rollers 4 therefore act in a manner similar to the springs ll) of Fig. 1. In order to exert a gradually increasing press re on the material in the press, the cylinders preferably have gradually increasing diameters from the inlet towards the outlet end of the press.

The links of the caterpillar chain are of such length that they bear simultaneously upon three rollers 4, during the whole of the period of compression.

The caterpillar chain 2 is driven by a pinion 3 whereof the shaft 3a, constituting the driving shaft, is supported by the stationary cheeks or discs I5. The working face of caterpillar chains 2 is clad with a band 2a of india rubber or the like, adapted to prevent water from reaching the mechanical members of the same. Said band likewise ensures that' working pressures are suitably distributed over the whole of the material undergoing treatment. Preferably, said india rubber band 2a is recessed or grooved to shape the matter-under treatment so that it can easily be divided afterwards into small blocks.

Damage to the india rubber band 2a is obviated by interconnecting the various adjacent chains 2 by means of pivots 2b, fitting loosely in the plates 2d of said chains, so that the latter are adapted to be tilted transversely relatively to one another. Instead of this form of connection, use may of course be made of hinges between the chain plates.

In order to prevent the material under treatment from escaping from between the two travelling members during compression, the caterpillar chains are fitted between the side discs or webs 6b of the drum, a fluid-tight joint being formed, for example, by means of india rubber flaps or flanges 22, secured to said side discs 6b, so fitted that they bear against the india rubber facing 2a and are applied against the side discs 61) when the material undergoing treatment is compressed. Instead of rims or flanges of this kind, use may be made of flanges 2f formed upon the india rubber facing 2a and adapted to be applied against the side discs 617 during compression of the material under treatment.

It will be readily seen that the stationary checks or discs may be integral with the frame of the press, replace said frame or themselves constitute the same.

Our invention is of course not limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described, and illustrated by way of example, and the form, arrangement and constitution of its constructional details may be modified in various ways without departure from its scope.

We claim:

1. In combination in a press for dehydrating colloid material, a pair of cooperating endless members, a backing for one of said endless members, means for pressing the second of said endless members against the first of said endless members, and elastic means interposed between the second of said endless members and said pressure means, said elastic means comprising parallel rails each made of a single continuous rail extending throughout the portion of the press where pressure is exerted.

2. In combination in a press for dehydrating colloid material, an endless member, a backing for said member, a composite endless member adapted to co-operate with said first endless member, means for causing said endless members to travel, means for pressing said composite endless member against said first mentioned endless member, and elastic supports interposed between said composite endless member and said pressure means, said elastic supports comprising a plurality of longitudinal rails arranged side by side, each of said rails being made of a single resilient piece of metal, said pressure means being distributed throughout the length of said elastic rails.

3. In combination in a press for dehydrating colloid material, a pair of co-operating endless members, a drum forming a backing for one of said members, means for pressing the second of said members against the member on said drum, said second endless member comprising a plurality of caterpillar chains arranged side by side, means loosely connecting adjacent chains with one another, and elastic rails interposed respectively between said pressure members and each of said caterpillar chains, each of said rails consisting of a single resilient piece of metal extending throughout the portion of said chains which is to be subjected to pressure.

4. In combination in a press for dehydrating colloid material, more particularly peat, an endless member flexible both longitudinally and transversely, a second endless member of cylindrical shape, said flexible endless member surrounding said cylindrical member over more than half of its periphery, longitudinal rails forming continuous elastic supports for said flexible member, said rails being arranged side by side and adapted to yield independently of one another, a rotatable drum forming a backing for said cylindrical member, and means distributed throughout the length of said rails to press said flexible member towards said cylindrical member.

5. In combination in a press for dehydrating colloid material, more particularly peat, a composite endless member formed of a plurality of articulated plates arranged longitudinally side by side, a second endless member formed of a filter of cylindrical shape, said composite member surrounding a portion of said filter extending over an angle of more than 180, longitudinal rails forming continuous elastic supports for said composite member over the portion of said composite member facing said filter, a rotatable drum forming a backing for said filter, cross-pieces extending transversely of said rails and bearing thereagainst, and means for applying yielding pressure on said cross-pieces.

6. In combination in a press for dehydrating colloid material, a shaft, a drum on said shaft, an endless member on said drum, a frame loosely mounted on said shaft comprising a plate on each side of said drum, a composite endless member encircling more than one half of the periphery of said drum, means for pressing said composite endless member against the endless member on said drum, said pressure means comprising jacks pivoted to the periphery of said plates, and means for transmitting the pressure of said jacks to said composite endless member comprising cross-pieces, longitudinal rails resting on said cross-pieces, said rails consisting each of a single elastic piece of metal, and antifriction means between said composite endless member and said rails.

7. In a press for dehydrating colloid material, the combination of the elements recited in claim 6 with means for adjusting the position of said frame.

, 8. In a press for dehydrating colloid material, the combination of the elements recited in claim communicating with said channels.

MATHIEU VAN ROGGEN. LEO ROBIN. 

